Fanservice

Okay, a little later than I expected them to be made in but still the majority of those are forty years old. The Rawhide kid is the only one even slightly recent (7-8 years old) and yeah its pretty terrible, but I don't exactly deny that there's terrible comic books about even today. Just that you can't use the worst of a medium to judge all the rest of it, especially when you're refrencing stuff long out of date. You wouldn't do it for films, you wouldn't do it for music, so why are we doing it for Comics?

You can change people's minds, but there's an approach to it. Just saying "You're wrong and here's why" rarely works unless you just want to call out an elephant in the room. Even then it's generally quite a messy buisness and far from the best method.

Arguments only work if both sides are listening to each other and at GG usually neither side is which makes the whole thing a bit doomed. That doesn't mean they're not occasionaly fun to watch and take part in, but they don't accomplish much but bad feeling.

It's far easier to get someone to change thier mind if you treat them and thier opinions with a bit of respect, try to understand where they are coming from and show a genuine enthusiasm for the topic. I used to sell door to door to make a bit of extra money in Uni, a job that I wouldn't recommend as the pay and hours are lousy, but one thing I did get out of it was plenty of training on how to get people over to your side. Usually involving positive reinforcement (Getting them to respond "Yes" to a long list of questions), showing them how it solved a problem they had and generally getting them in the mindframe that they're buying from you, rather than you selling to them.

A game we played on the bus/cars/trains or while getting food was to get others on the team to do small things for you using the Three Steps (Smile, Eye Contact and Excitement) go get you a drink, give change for something, put something in the bin. That sort of thing. The key to it all is that the moment it's a direct confrontation you've already lost but if you can help people come to a conclusion, rather than giving them one, you're doing all right.

I did sell some stuff too! Though I'm not going to lie and say it's easy. People don't really want to listen and how you get people to do that is a different discussion.

I lost where I was going with this. Oh right! Changing peoples minds. Of course there's things people will never change thier mind, but I know for sure it's not true for everything.

"But Fans!" I hear you cry "You make confrontational characters!". Well yeah, I do have them. Be a bit boring if every character I made was only there to win arguments, not to mention rather silly.

All of those examples are from forty or so years ago. That's not comics fault that's the time period you're looking into. Yes comics are sexist back then but so were films, books and.. well.. everything. Holding up old comics as an idea that all comics today are sexist is silly. All you're really proving is that the 40's and 50's attitude to women was horrible by today's standards and that's not something that's a particularly revelatory find.

Holding up comic car crashes like Tarot doesn't help either. There's a misconception here that because some writers and artists can be misogynist that means they all are. It makes no sense either as we don't call To Kill a Mocking Bird sexist because American Pie was. The two films shouldn't even be in the same sentence together and judging one purely by the other is clearly ridiculous. We don't write off film as a medium because we get stupid things like "Meet the Spartans" and "Epic Movie", so we shouldn't do the same with comics.

There's plenty of comics with good female characters, start looking into DC and you'll find plenty. The New Question, Batwoman, Huntress, Scandal Savage, Non-Ultimate Wasp and Oracle I can name off the top of my head and they tend to fit in just fine as strong characters who aren't token in the least. There's a few writers who do them a great disservice (especially poor Wasp), but generally they fit into the teams great without being patronised or thrown into shameless fanservice. Okay maybe Scandal Savage get stick at times for being a woman, but she's on the Suicide Squad. They're not exactly all nice people and ribbing each other is just part of the comic. She gives as good as she gets, if not more so.

Speaking of the Suicide Squad no love for Amanda Waller? Talk about your atypical comic book woman, but she's by far the most badass in any comic she features in.

What I'm trying to say, in a rambly way, is that I can fairly safely say that "All" comics are not sexist. It's down to the writers and artists and frankly most people here know who the main offenders are. Don't write off good stuff just because there's bad!

Like in Twilight? :>

They were Vegetarian Vampires who survived on Animal Blood. So Vampire wasn't the only V word to lose all meaning during the course of that book.

Capes and Cowls, January 10th 2011

Kumiko Fukada, or Fanservice Girl as she's known when in costume, was a teen sensation a year ago but now seems to be going through a coming of age. With Super strength, incredible toughness, regeneration and flight she's one of the big, uncomplicated power houses of a Hero that we all love here and we got the chance to catch up with her last weekend and find out just what's been going on that's caused such a stir for her recently.


Thanks for coming today.

Feels great to be here, I love to read your pieces so it’s nice to finally be in one.


Well we want to start with the most obvious question, what’s happened to give you your new look? You’re a foot taller than you were last week for a start.

We’re still working out how exactly my power works, but the current theory is that I’m constantly building up some kind of energy within me and eventually there’s enough that my body undergoes an overnight metamorphosis to better represent what I think I should be like.


So you changed because you wanted to look like this?

Subconsciously, or at least that’s the theory. I can’t really complain about it if it’s true as I’m quite happy with how it turned out, even if doorframes can cause me trouble now.


You certainly stand out. You said on your website that you’re going to stop doing homage costumes, so is this one entirely new?

That’s right, I’m keeping my Blue and Red one and will be trying out a few new costumes of my own design for a little while but once I’ve chosen a look I’ll probably settle down to the same routine with costumes as most other heroes out there. Hopefully it’ll give others the chance to show me how the homage costume is really done.


What made you decide to stop?

I’ve been thinking of stopping for a good while now and the recent changes have made it a good point to do that. It was fun, but I can’t really justify the wardrobe to myself anymore especially with the work I do these days where I want to be taken seriously. Maybe I’ll dress up for special occasions, but it won’t be a regular thing anymore.


Are you going to change your name as well? You’re looking a lot more like Fanservice Woman these days.

I imagine I’ll drop the Girl part soon and leave it at that. I won’t go for an entirely new name, I’d never get people to use it, so just Fanservice will do fine. I use my real name when I’m doing business, but I’ve actually gotten rather attached to being called Fanservice over the years.


You don’t think its degrading?

Not really, it’s just a bit of fun. Other people might think it’s degrading but you can’t please everyone. I take the work I do very seriously but I don’t want to come across as a stern and serious person. When you’re saving someone’s life they’re not really going to complain you didn’t wear a tie. Also when you get into embarrassing situations it’s easier to laugh them off if you’ve not build your whole image around being deathly serious.


You do seem to get in embarrassing situations a lot.

I think every hero does, they’re just smart enough not to film them.


So is your website really that accurate?

About as accurate as the medium allows while still keeping it interesting, there’s a lot of tedium to the job that I do mention but don’t show. I also don’t show things which are disrespectful to the victims of crime or disturbing to watch so there’s things that might really put people off that are missing, which does bother me a little. Hero work is fulfilling but no one is perfect, things can and will go wrong, you might arrive too late or there’ll be an accident and one of my key tips is to find a team or a group of friends you trust enough to lean on when you’re going through a rough time. If that’s not an option, there are a lot of great people in the police force who can be discreet and supportive who’ve been through it all so they’d know where you’re coming from. Some of our work can be particularly harrowing and going it completely alone is not something anyone can do for long. I’ve know people who’ve had bad experiences and quit over it and I don’t hold it against them, but no one should be without a shoulder to lean on.


Have you ever thought about quitting?

Yes and I have. I went home to take care of my family for a few months and while I didn’t stay entirely out of trouble during it, I wasn’t looking about for crime either. It wasn’t that I got sick of Hero work, I just had bigger priorities to deal with. It’s a rather personal matter though so you’ll have to forgive me that I don’t go into it further.


That’s perfectly understandable. Since you mentioned home though would you say you’re well known in Japan as you are here?

Not really no. I’ve actually got former classmates from when I was young who’ve grown up to become far more well known than me back home but are virtually unheard of here, so it works both ways. I’m not surprised about it we tend to focus on Paragon’s heroes and they tend to focus on their own.


You said earlier that you’re a teacher for the New Vigilants? What do you teach exactly?

Media Studies, Wrestling and Power Combat. Which is a class focused on learning to fight with or against powers, on teams or alone. There’s a mix of teamwork and personal improvement too it, as well as teaching the students to think on their feet and keep things safe for the public if a fight does break out.


How do you go about teaching that? There wouldn’t be a class left after the first lesson.

We’ve got training simulators fairly similar to Architect Entertainment at the Unity Vigil, but with more focus on realism than flashy effects and that way students can cut loose without worrying about anyone getting hurt. While it is a fun class it’s still there to teach them important skills and there’s a group session each week where everyone is encouraged to critique each others methods so they can try improving for next time in their own time.


Just wouldn’t be school without homework. As for your other classes I can understand how you’d be a good choice to teach Media Studies but Wrestling? That hardly seems fair.

Fairness and fighting don’t mix. I’m not there to beat them at it anyway, just teach them all the moves and how they’d fit into a fight. Heroes tend to be outnumbered and being able to quickly break a hold is a vital skill, if you get slowed down for even a few seconds you might take a nasty beating. It’s particularly useful to me as there’s a lot of people I can’t hit too hard for fear of doing serious damage. Pins, throws and submission holds are a lot less dangerous if done right and it usually plays to my advantages to turn a fight into a close up battle of strength and finesse. I’m also competent in Judo, Wing Chun, MCMAP and Boxing and I’ve dabbled in even more styles than that but Wrestling’s the one I feel confident in being an expert at. When it comes to a fight I’ve got a rather eclectic style that seems to work and that’s normal, people with powers tend to need to work out their own styles, we’ve got options and restrictions that can completely change a martial art and it takes time to settle onto something that works for you.


That sounds like a lot of hard work.

It is but it’s also quite rewarding to see your self improve. I have a bit of an advantage over most as I don’t sleep, so I have a lot of free time in the early hours that I fill with learning programs or exercises. Not to mention the Unity Vigil have some of the best teachers you could hope to find, there’s always something plenty of people there willing to take the time to train me if I ask and I take advantage of that.


And they do the same?

Of course, I make a good sparring partner at the very least.


Are there any of your students who we should watch out for?

All of them if I have it my way. I won’t pick favorites, but I will say that the more willing someone is to learn then the better I think they’ll do in the future. Every teacher in the NV is teaching from experience and we want them to do well, no matter what they decide to go on to do.


Speaking of future jobs, you’re also the founding member of HEART, can you tell us a little about that?

HEART is a registered charity organization that’s looking to focus on getting people involved in relief and aid work. We try to be on the ground for any major disasters, help find missing tourists, aid reconstruction efforts or assist development projects. It’s really a matter of finding a kind of work that the people applying would be exceptional at and then helping them get the training that’d allow them to go do it. It’s still a small organization for now, but we’re getting bigger.


Good to hear you’re doing well. What exactly spurred you to create HEART?

A lot of people who get powers seem to worry that people will expect them to fight crime with them and so they hide them from the world so they can get by without hassle. Fighting crime is dangerous work and when you’ve got kids to look after or a job to do so you can pay the bills I can understand how people wouldn’t want to take the risks. Still, we all feel we can do more with our lives and we all want to make a difference. All I’m doing is helping people find out an outlet for that without asking them to endanger their lives or the lives of their family. If people want to do it full time then we can provide paid work which is subsidized by a few sponsors including myself so it’s not a burden on the taxpayer. If they don’t want to make a career of it then people can volunteer for a little as a few hours a month or do a one off weekend. Come summer we’ve got a lot University students who are keen to do it for a gap year, so that should be interesting.


Do you have to have powers to work for HEART?

Not at all, but I’d say we’re the only charity currently that specializes in that area. People can apply and we’ll try finding something for them to do that they’ll both find rewarding and be good at. We’ve not failed to do that yet but I’m lucky enough to have some very talented people helping run the organization. For the most part I leave them too it, they’re better at it than me. I’d happily suggest the New Vigilants to people looking to learn how to control and use their powers and HEART for those who want to try making a difference in the world without the danger that comes with the usual Hero work.


You’ve mentioned ‘Hero work’ a few times, what would you say makes a Hero though?

That’s a tricky one to pin down. It means a lot of different things to people but for me I’d say it’s when people go significantly out of their way to help. People working in the emergency services get called Heroes for going ‘Beyond the call of duty’ and I’d say that for anyone willing to step up and take on a difficult task, without any significant compensation for doing so, that makes them a hero in my book.

It’s not a perfect explanation though, it misses out a lot of people who deserve to be in there even if there is significant compensation. I guess deciding who’s a hero and who’s not is ultimately a personal thing. You can’t have a hard and fast rule.


So who’s your favourite Hero?

Always been Starborn for me. I’ve had a massive crush on her ever since I arrived in Paragon. I love the iconic style of her costume, her sensible moral values and her sheer drive and determination. It’s been great to work alongside her in the Unity Vigil she’s somehow even nicer than the press makes her out to be. She’s quite pretty too.


Oh really? So are you seeing someone right now?

Yes.


And?

And that’s all you’re getting out of me they’ll make themselves known in their own time if they want to. I should say that they’re absolutely lovely though but that is really all I’ll say about them.


Darn. Well before we finish, is there anything you’d like to say?

I’ll be at Comic Con and Hero Fest this year if people want to come make fun of how fat I’ve got and ask me about that kiss with my future self. Some other questions would be nice though, I’d appreciate it if people go to the effort.


We didn’t ask about that kiss.

But you did make fun of how fat I’ve got?


Uh….

*Laughs* You’re adorable. Thanks for not asking about it.


We’ll save it for next time. Thank you for coming Kumiko, we’re looking forward to seeing how things go for you.

Me too, let’s hope it goes well!


Fukada Kumiko is the founder of HEART and isn’t fat at all. She’s still a regular sight as Fanservice Girl among the skies of Paragon City.

My problem with the puppy killing, baby eating EVIL villains is that.. well.. they're just not very interesting. There's nothing too them but a murderous rage for the world and honestly people don't really care why they got that way. They're not a compelling character as they have no real traces of humanity left in them.

You can possibly do it if they didn't use to be that way and so people can see them as a tragic or horrifying monster that destroyed a person they once knew or if being EVIL is just an affliction they have to live through irregularly (Though this one very rarely works and before you ask, no, yours probably isn't the exception). Ultimately, like all mad dogs, all we really want for them is to be put down.

It's just not as compelling as the Mad Scientist with a chip on their shoulder who doesn't want to win because he'd have nothing left or the slimy, power hungry Corporate executive who's never on the wrong side of the law but is ultimately an empty shell inside, having all the wealth they wanted but no friends to show it off too and precious little respect.

That's not to say they don't have their place, not every villain has to be nuanced and clever. Sometimes there's a nice catharsis in beating up an utter *******. But it's not really the best choice and they're not all that memorable. I wouldn't want to play one long term that's for sure!

To further this. The gratuitous acts of 'Evil!' just.. aren't particularly evil. They're overplayed and almost comical really, if you're out torching orphanages, poisoning kittens or wiping out city blocks you're too much of a caricature of evil to be taken seriously. You're not evil, you're just psychopathic and unstable.

For me real evil is acts of incredible spite, malice, jealousy or greed. Cutting someone's face just because they're prettier than you, ruining a fund-raiser because 'your' cause isn't the one being championed, starving people so you can live an extravagant lifestyle or good ol' Westen Phipps who tramples on people's hopes and dreams so they don't think to try rise above the hell hole they're living in. Evil isn't about big shock acts of mass carnage and mayhem, it's insidious and oily. I don't find the Joker particularly evil when he's trying to poison Gotham, but when he paralysed Barbara Gordon just to try drive her father insane? That was evil.

Or at least that's my opinion. It's such a nebulous word that it's certainly not the only one that could be right, if I'm right at all.

Edit: For me, True Evil is Nurse Ratched from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. She's the one that comes to mind when I think of a really black soul.

I'm glad people liked the picture! (Even if it was a bit unpolished.)

While having the game mirror it would be a fairly monstrous task to do and I don't think would really be worth the time for a few weeks, I'm a little sad we don't have any kind of change in Paragon at all. Even small things like a few seasonal lines of NPC talk would make the world feel just a little more alive. I realise it's not exactly a critical part of the game, but it does help it feel a bit more fresh.

And what Superhero worth thier salt doesn't have a Christmas Comic/Episode? It's practically the law.



Anyway! I might well give a few pictures a second go over the Holidays (Which start next Friday for me) and add in some lights and other extras this time. Rather than doing it from ones ripped off the website or taken myself, if people want to PM me some I'll see what I can do! I can even add in a bit of text and turn it into a christmas card if people are keen for that. The only guidelines I'd give is to avoid shots with more than about a third of it as ocean, Sky or Warwall as they don't really change much and that I don't mind doing the Rogue Islands or Praetoria as well!

I got a character that can get up to Level 40 Recipes with their Hero Merits. So anyone got suggestions as to which Recipes level 40 recipes (Or lower!) would make good money? Seems better to sell an expensive one and buy a few cheap Set Pieces for my main character than to pick up bits of Kinetic Combat for the main, but not sure what'd be worth looking at to get a good amount!

And I might as well ask for hints on level 50 ones while I'm here, though PvP IO's are a bit out of my sight for now.

It's worth noting that nearly every MMO exaggerates weapon sizes so players can see them better. Very much so in this case!

Though this is Super heroes, so it's not impossible that it's that size at which point you don't even bother trying to holster it, you carry it in hand by resting it over the shoulder and regret your choice of ridiculously oversized weapon.

Edit: Nah that's all boring!

Incarnates!

The one most likely to use magic is Soaring Horizon, who likes to defeat and suck the power out of old gods that aren't worshipped any-more. This Christmas she's going to try take on old St Nick! Whether it results in Incarnate hood or coal in the stocking is something to be seen.

I'd really prefer we didn't hammer on the EU/US divide. There was a lot of other, more relevant stuff to go with the post before that.

I think it's probably time someone explained a bit about the Unionverse as I get the feeling the Americans look at us with a kind of baffled "Why is this an issue?" face. It's a fully shared universe, where every characters published actions (On the forums, or through IC action) are canon to both themselves and each other. Yes, the concept of a shared setting where your characters exploits are considered canon to 'everyone' does make it a little limiting in what you can do at times. You can't do anything too sweeping as it's got to be accessible to new players, not to mention people don't really like being forced to pay attention to a player made power trip and you need to show some sense.

But on the upside it makes the world feel more alive, plots sometimes intersect with interesting results. Characters form deeper bonds and don't all live in their own little bubble universes. People find plot hooks easier (But not necessarily take them. Some people seem to refuse to take a plot hook unless it's absolutely tailor made for their characters, which of course is just not going to happen, but that's a different rant for a different day) There's a palpable feel of history to the Unionverse and it can even invoke a bit of nostalgia of people and groups gone by. It makes the game seem more alive, as things happen while you're away and old friends sometimes turn up unexpectedly. It's dynamic and flexible!

But of course, it does have to be tempered by people not taking the mickey. You can't push the universe too hard, you shouldn't run plots that FORCE people to participate and above all your characters should feel like they're real people, not people with stats.

This kind of "You must be an Incarnate" nonsense is going to get silly when everyone's doing it, especially as it's come out of pretty much no where. It's a new buzzword Paragon Studio's made up to explain how they're moving the game forward. Saying that people's characters HAVE to be one IC though is stepping on that "Don't force people to do things they don't want too" rule. Paragon Studio don't really worry about how this stuff will affect RP, nor should they! But sometimes you have to bend what they give us a little so people can be happy.

Not that it means all rule bending is now fair game. We'll still rail against people who make jarring characters that don't fit in the universe, or abuse the game lore, because we're actually quite nice people and would like a big game world that everyone can be in. But it doesn't help when a few people are peeing in the pool. People who openly commit crimes and refuse to have their characters take the consequences. People who make characters who can fix anything in a few minutes. People who bring characters to a social setting who just aren't social, then whine OOC about it and just depress everyone. And of course the trolls who deliberately push peoples buttons to give a reaction, successfully more often than not too. Much to my dismay.

See the difference is, if people refuse to OOC accept something and resolution is impossible then just ignoring them is fine. If you find that means you have to ignore everyone then you're just going to have to suck it up and realise that maybe, just maybe, you're wrong this time round and will have to learn to live with it.

I ignore a few people ingame because I find them persistently frustrating, for one reason or another. Not many! I'm a very friendly person really, but I don't want to get into a OOC shouting match with them because that's pointless. IC though I love heated debates! Though sadly not everyone else does, but I'm grown up enough to realize if no one else is enjoying it to not do it. Rather than complain loudly about how everyone else is stupid for not agreeing with me.

It's a weird quirk of roleplayers and geeks/nerds in general that we expect EVERYONE to get along just because they share a common interest. Which is ridiculous, we won't all get along and agree with everything everyone else has to say and that's fine! It's normal! We don't want to exclude anyone from Unionverse RP (Well okay, people not on Union, but the clues in the name) but we're not going to make a special effort to include people who really aren't doing themselves any favours. I know Ammon and CB think they're really, really, right on this one but the fact is no one else is willing to swallow it and that is essentially the important thing. Arguing further is pretty much pointless here. If anyone tells me OOC my characters I've chosen NOT to go down the Incarnate path have 'got' to be snacking on Incarnate Shards as they're using the abilities in combat and that means I'm weak to X or have to do Y, then I'm going to be ignoring them. I don't gimp myself for RP when going into combat in an MMO, some people are that dedicated but I'm not one of them. I'd happily do it in PnP but that's a different beast altogether! Which isn't to say I base my characters power on said combat. I don't. I've had characters go down in one text fight punch or accepted that someone is too powerful for me to take even when I could have pasted the walls with them in the Arena. But that's only because I chose to accept that at the time, they never said I had too.

So really it's all about mutual consent. Or just acting like grown ups!

So yeah. My attempt to explain how we Unionverse people are really quite nice people who want to build a shared universe. But we're not pushovers and that no one is entitled to be a part of it if they're not making an effort to fit in.

You may now ignore this hopefully reasonable post in favour of some angry comment someone made and complain about how everyone is SO MEAN, as is the way of the internet since ages long past.

I'm not arguing against the established lore and Pandora's box. Just that referring to it IC in such a wishy washy manner as the current Incarnate stuff is just going to sound absolutely ridiculous.

And not the fun kind of ridiculous! More the "Whaaaat?" kind.

To put it another way. Fanservice Girl with Sets vs Fanservice Girl with IO's and Incarnate power. No contest, Fanservice Girl with Sets would DESTROY her. But the latter is the one who's an impossibly powerful "Incarnate" so why is she losing?

I'll also bet Fanservice Girl or Toxic Weaver would clean the clock of 90% of Incarnate players without really breaking a sweat, even without going Incarnate themselves. Does this make them Incarnate by the transitive properties of "Incarnate can't be beat by non-Incarnate's"? Or that we shouldn't base character's entirely on their In game stats? Or that the idea that Incarnates are better by virtue of the Alpha slot alone is just silly if you're arguing it from a "Because in game they'll be really powerful" perspective?

And how would that be different to a blaster using their Nukes? Full Auto is darn sexy and I doubt we'll get Incarnate powers that blow that particular power out of the water unless you're a blaster already. Just ones that are fairly good!

Telling people they are "Incarnate" IC, is going to be no different from saying "I've arbitrarily decided you're Incarnate because some of your stuff is fairly powerful"

Which is a no duh moment. A rocket launcher from the Blasters APP munitions pool is fairly powerful, that doesn't mean anyone willing to lug one about has the power of a god (Depending on metaphors being used). I'd bet there's powers less effective from the Alpha slot for other, less offensive based AT's. So deciding that their Incarnate Rocket launcher is unbelievable, while the Blasters isn't, even though it's better? That's just using OOC knowledge to make IC statements and getting ridiculous.

We can get Warburg nukes right now and people sometimes use them IC as an "For Emergencies, break glass and kick ***" power. No chance will Incarnate powers beat them, nor does having a Warburg nuke make you an incarnate.

You're free to do it IC anyway of course, it's just going to be a bit ... silly sounding.

The problem seems to be that rather than Incarnate meaning that they're an Avatar of a Greek god (Or possibly any god, hence the name Incarnate) it now means .... something fairly poorly defined and from the sounds of it it's going to stay deliberately vague.

So feel free to call Fans an incarnate IC when she gets her Alpha slot, but since there's no real coherent definition to what an Incarnate IS anymore you're not really doing much more than pointing out she's pretty powerful. Which she'll attest too already!